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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654696">For What It's Worth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lendys/pseuds/Lendys'>Lendys</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Lance has a good nose, Lance is trying to be a good friend, M/M, POV Lance (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Sharing a Bed, and succeeds, angsty keith, fluff kinda, mention of masturbation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:21:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lendys/pseuds/Lendys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance McClain was nothing if not perceptive – most of the time.<br/>Well... Sometimes.<br/>Okay, he had his head in the clouds more often than not, but he knew when something was off. Especially when a certain mullet was involved.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Lance (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>For What It's Worth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowRose8/gifts">RainbowRose8</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Okay, this is my first fic. So I hope it's any good xD </p>
<p>I dedicate this to RainbowRose8 who encouraged me to start writing and asked for some fluff. You are awesome!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Uuuuurgh! What the quiznak?” That's so <b> not </b> how I wanted to start my day...<br/>
Apparently, tired me from last night forgot to turn off the alarm. Fuck my life. The one day I was allowed to sleep in. With no morning drills scheduled to disrupt my precious beauty sleep and no mission planned for the next couple of days. And what happens? That shrill beeping pulled me out of my dreams. Just my luck I guess. And it had been such a nice dream...</p>
<p>So I might have used some extra force to turn the the offending sound off. It happens.<br/>
Pushing my face into my pillow in hopes of getting back to sleep I noticed something was... different.<br/>
My pillow smelled strange.<br/>
Not bad or anything. It smelled like me. Or rather like my conditioner and a faint lingering of musk I knew was mine. Yeah, I should change the covers more often, who cares? Spending your days training and fighting an intergalactic war while retaining your beauty routine takes priority, okay?</p>
<p>So I was sniffing the fabric just to make sure and yes! There was another scent on the edge of my pillow. It was quite faint but definitely there. Spicy yet mellow. I knew that smell. Would recognize it anywhere. It smelled like Keith. Wait what?<br/>
Something was off. </p>
<p>Okay, so Keith.... Keith has a very distinct scent. Like cinnamon and honey and a bit of clover. Which is totally unfair if you asked me. The guy's got looks (yes, even with the mullet), skills, reflexes <b>and</b> he smells nice. I'd be green with envy if not for the fact that a: green was Pidge's colour and b: I had a tiny little crush on him. Okay, who am I kidding? A huge crush. As wide as the eye can see.<br/>
Took me some time to figure that one out. Who would have guessed that all the bickering came from a place beyond friendly rivalry?<br/>
And who could blame me? Just look at him. With his dark-grey-almost-violet eyes. And those arms. And that narrow waist. And when he takes off his shirt after training and bends over to grab a water bottle... I better stop this before I start drooling... </p>
<p>But I was first and foremost his friend. Someone he could rely on when things get rough, his right hand man. Someone he started to feel comfortable around. That's way more important than acting on a stupid little (big) crush, right? No matter how nice he smelled. Or how much I just wanted to hold him close to me when he gets all tense and angsty because he thinks he's not a good leader. One day he'll believe me when I tell him that just because he isn't Shiro doesn't mean he's any less competent.<br/>
Yeah, one day...<br/>
Getting through to Keith is not exactly easy. Boy's got some major issues with proximity. He'd try to worm his way out of group hugs and sit by himself during movie nights, brooding. Like that was better than cuddling... Keith's got touch-starved written all over his face, the letters glowing in the dark. </p>
<p>Anyway, back to the question at hand: Why did my pillow smell like Keith?<br/>
Did the castle malfunction again? Did it somehow switch our bedclothes? Did I hallucinate? I was almost certain I didn't and a closer inspection confirmed: Both my pillow and covers had Keith's scent on them.<br/>
And as nice as that was, it was also distracting. In a 'I'm getting too horny to function' kind of way. Damn, I have it bad for him...</p>
<p>So what if I spent the time until breakfast with my face buried in my pillow and my boxers around my ankles? I'm a healthy young man, only God can judge me! And oh boy, did I feel judged... Some friend I am, perving over Keith like that. Yes, I felt guilty after I finished. Guilty as hell. But no one said being a catholic bisexual would be easy. Or maybe I just made it hard for myself?<br/>
The point is, I dumped my covers in the laundry room on my way to the kitchen and decided to forget about the whole incident. No use getting strung up over nothing, right? It was nothing. Just a coincidence. I'd just be a good friend to him. This was nothing to worry about. </p>
<p>Until three days later when my pillow and sheets smelled like Keith again. Huh...<br/>
So what now? Another castle malfunction? Nah. Trying not to pay it any mind and being a good friend (and still feeling guilty over getting off on his smell), I did my laundry, slept in fresh bedclothes and went on about my days like nothing happened. </p>
<p>Two days later and the smell was back. And the day after that. And four days after that. I was at a loss and mildly confused. Scratch that, I was major confused! What the heck was going on?<br/>
Did Keith crawl into bed with me at night? Hmmm, Keith in my bed... Now that was a thought I could get behind. Or on top. Goddammit McClain, get your shit together! </p>
<p>Why would Keith, of all people, end up getting into bed with <b>me</b>? Not that I'm not a catch, if I may say so.<br/>
I wrecked my brains trying to find a conclusion but only ended up with a headache.<br/>
Sure, Keith was just human. Well, half-human. I was sure he'd get lonely at times, with no family, losing Shiro and now being responsible for the Paladins.<br/>
Maybe he had nightmares? God knows I have them. You can't fight a war and expect not to be haunted by the misery you saw every day.<br/>
But he could have just... talked about it? Yeah right, like that's gonna happen. Not with Keith competing for the title of Mister Stoic... </p>
<p>I decided it was time to solve the mystery of the Keith-smelling bedclothes.<br/>
I planned to stay awake for the night. Nothing I couldn't do, I pulled all-nighters before. I just <b>had</b> to know whether Keith would sneak into bed with me or not. </p>
<p>Which he didn't. No Keith. But a tired and grumpy me the next day. Curse my luck! So I went through breakfast and training and lunch like a zombie before I had time for a much needed power nap. One hour later and somewhat refreshed, I decided that staying up all night might not have been my brightest idea. Still, I couldn't help but wonder: how did Keith's scent end up in my bed? </p>
<p>I woke up again at what felt like ass o'clock. Damn that power nap, messing up my sleep schedule!<br/>
Just when I was about to snuggle my blanket and go back to sleep I felt something warm next to me.<br/>
I turned over as carefully as I could and blinked an eye open. Yep. There he was. Rolled up into himself on top of my covers, his head resting on the edge of my pillow. Hah, I knew it!<br/>
After the initial shock, I felt a cozy warmth spread through my whole body. From my chest up to the roots of my hair and down to the tips of my pinky toes. Yup, that's my Keith over there. Next to me. Looking like a little angel with bed-hair. It was almost too cute to be real. Almost.<br/>
To be honest, it was a bit unsettling, too, seeing him so relaxed in his slumber. For once he looked just as young as he actually was. </p>
<p>I guess he must have felt me staring because soon his eyes began to flutter.<br/>
No idea why I didn't just pretend to be asleep but something about him in that moment made me feel too fuzzy to give a care. Until his brain must have caught up with reality and his eyes grew wide in panic. Nope! No angsty Keith here! Not on my watch! </p>
<p>“Good morning.” I yawned as I reached up to scratch my cheek. He flinched back at that. Did he think I was going to hit him? Though it could have just been my morning breath....<br/>
I smiled at him, lips shut tightly (just in case) and gave him a questioning look before leaning back a bit. “Nightmare?”<br/>
Keith just nodded while slowly moving to the end of the bed, clearly scared.<br/>
Dammit, Lance, try to calm him down!<br/>
A look at the alarm told me it was around 4.20 in the morning.<br/>
“Figures...” I had to suppress another yawn. “I get them, too. It's alright.”<br/>
Even the dim light in my room couldn't hide his blush. “Sorry, I just...” he started.<br/>
“You know, I have just about two hours before I have to get up...” I interjected while I tugged at the blanket he was lying on.<br/>
As he shifted his weight to get up I was able to pull it free. “Which means another two hours before you have to get up as well.”<br/>
I lifted the blanket in invitation and moved my pillow so it would be easier to share.<br/>
Keith looked at me in utter disbelief.<br/>
I couldn't help but smile at the moron. “Come on, you look like you're freezing. I'll keep you warm for a bit.”<br/>
And he actually crawled under the covers, all timid, keeping his distance, still looking at me like he couldn't comprehend the situation he got himself into.<br/>
Rolling my eyes, I told him to turn around and snuggled up to him, pressing my chest to his back and threw an arm around his waist, rubbing calming circles on his stomach. I could feel him tense for a second before he relaxed into my touch. </p>
<p>Cuddling Keith in my bed... Now that's a dream come true but somehow... The haunted look he gave me earlier killed the horny... Keith needed a friend right now. And he came knocking at my door. So to speak. That was... Well, not better but pretty much just as good as cuddling for the sake of cuddling. He trusted me and I knew in that moment that I would never ever betray this trust!</p>
<p>“Who said you could be the big spoon?”<br/>
“I did. You get into my bed, I get to spoon you.” I quipped before I pulled him even closer and buried my face in his neck. “Next time I have a nightmare and crawl into your bed, I'll be the little spoon, okay?”<br/>
I felt the laughter in his chest more than I could hear it. “Is that a threat or a promise?”<br/>
“Both, kinda. You know, you could have just asked, Samurai.” Did he think I'd kick him out or something? But I quickly dropped that thought in favour of holding Keith closer.<br/>
“Didn't want to bother you. Sorry.” Keith sounded softer than I had ever heard him before.<br/>
“Bother me. Whenever you feel cold or have a nightmare, please just ask, okay?” Nuzzling his neck  I could feel him nod yes.<br/>
“Good. Because it feels nice being able to be there for you, you know?”<br/>
We stayed like that for a short while until I could feel his breath even out, slowing down as he drifted off to sleep.<br/>
“Night, Lance.” He murmured, almost too low to understand. “'nd thanks.”<br/>
“Good night, Keith.”<br/>
A few minutes later, when I was sure he was fast asleep again, I worked up the courage to whisper what I never dared to say to his face.<br/>
“You know, for what it's worth... Be it as a friend or... Or as whatever we may or may not be some day, you mean the world to me...”<br/>
Maybe his subconscious registered my words. Maybe not. He did, however, inch even closer to me, if that was possible. And I swear I could see the ghost of a smile curling his lips.<br/>
Yeah, I didn't get any more sleep that night. But who cares? Keith was here. He was comfortable. Resting. At ease in my arms. It was worth it.</p>
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